She was an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh, was on the faculty in Computer Science at San Jose State University, and also was an adjunct professor in the Business School at Santa Clara University.

She has published several papers and contributed book chapters in performance and availability modeling, data mining, and discrete event dynamic systems.  Recently, Archana spends her time with non-profit institutions. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of The Tech Museum, a Board Member of the Air Systems Foundation Scholarship Board, an Advisory Board Member of The Harker School, and an Advisory Board Member of the Sunday Friends Foundation. Archana has a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, a master's in Applied Mathematics from Virginia Tech, and a master's degree in Pure Mathematics from Bombay University. 

She serves as a liaison to the various community organizations and trade associations helping to advocate for legislation and public policies that impact Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Her career has long been in government and in serving the community. Most recently, she was the Government Relations/Public Policy Associate for the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce and the San Mateo County Economic Development Association. Prior to that, she was the District Representative for State Senator Abel Maldonado. She is also an active member of the community- having served on some sort of board or commission for over 20 years.  Some notable highlights include the Daly City Library Board of Trustees, the Commission on the Status of Women for San Mateo County, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley. Currently, she is a part of Silicon Valley Reads, the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Citizens Advisory Committee for the San Mateo County Transportation Authority.  She was born and raised in the Bay Area and attended San Francisco State University where she received a BA in Psychology- with an emphasis in Industrial/Organizational.

 

Patrick Ahrens is the district director for Assemblymember Evan Low in California Assembly District 26. 

Patrick has been active in Democratic Party politics at the local, state, and federal levels, serving as campaign manager in two elections. An active community volunteer, he served on the board of directors of the Foothill-De Anza Foundation before his election. Ahrens became deeply interested in higher education policy as a student at De Anza College when he was the first in his family to go to college and was elected to serve as student trustee on the Foothill-De Anza Community College District's governing board. He holds an associate degree from De Anza College, a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master's degree in public administration from San Jose State University. He lives in Sunnyvale, CA. 

The focus of her research is the relation of language to other cognitive functions (e.g., memory and attention), which she has explored from a developmental perspective through the lifespan, including projects on Language & Cognitive Development in Blind Children, Cross-linguistic Development of Sociolinguistic Skills, Language and Cognitive Changes in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease, and Child-Machine Spoken Interfaces. She has been awarded numerous research grants from federal and private foundations (e.g., NIH, NIA, NATO, March of Dimes, the Spencer Foundation) and is the author of dozens of journal articles, as well as an author of one book and editor of another. 

She was a Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow, a Senior Research Fulbright Fellow in Lyon, France (Maison de Science de l'Homme), a Visiting Fellow at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Psycholinguistik, an invited Professor at Paris V (the Sorbonne: Rene Descartes), at UC Davis, and at the Summer Schools of both the Society for Research in Child Development and the Linguistics Institute of America. 

Outside of Academia, Dr. Andersen has served on the board of the Bring Me a Book Foundation, as a mentor in the Peninsula College Fund, and on the Foothill College Commission for many years.

He has specialized in all aspects of the formation and operation of venture capital and other private equity funds, with a particular emphasis on issues involving partnerships, limited liability companies, tax, and other areas.  He has decades of legal experience with Goodwin Procter LLP and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC, among others.  Jonathan is the author of numerous publications and holds a patent in the area of private equity fund formation.  Jonathan is a graduate of Wesleyan University and earned his JD from the Yale Law School. 

She then moved to volunteering her time at The Harker School where her two sons attended. She is a certified yoga instructor and taught yoga for several years in Bay Area wellness studios.

Shyamoli holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stonybrook University in New York and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India. She currently serves on the Foothill-De Anza Foundation Board of Directors and is on the Advisory Board of the Harker School in San Jose. She and her husband live in Los Altos Hills. Her hobbies and interests include skiing, hiking, biking, reading and traveling. 

Espinosa-Pieb first came to De Anza as a community volunteer and then became a student employee in 1980. A first-generation college student, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix and a master’s degree in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco. 

 During her time at De Anza, Espinosa-Pieb has been deeply committed to student equity and student success. As a vice president, she worked to ensure diversity in faculty hiring to better reflect De Anza’s highly diverse student body. Earlier in her career, she oversaw programs for disabled students, managed the Learning in Communities and Honors programs, and for several years taught a course titled “Women of Color in the USA.” 

Previously, he was the CFO, of Singularity University, and VP of Finance, KANA Software. James also has experience as a strategic consultant and investment banker. In his role as CFO, he is responsible for strategic and financial analyses, budgeting and planning, cash management, investor relations, fundraising, capital structure planning, and business performance measurements and metrics. 

James has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy. He also l serves as a trustee for the San Francisco Exploratorium. 

In 1994, Mayor Kniss led Palo Alto to be the first city in the U.S. with a website. Affordable Housing, internet connectivity, and community family resources were emphasized while she served.

In November 2000, Kniss was elected to represent Santa Clara County's Fifth District on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. In her county role, she was on the boards of VTA, CalTrain, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and was elected to leadership roles on each board. After serving three terms, the maximum allowed at one time, she returned to the Palo Alto City Council. In 2016, she won by a decisive margin; Kniss was elected a total of ten times. She was elected mayor of Palo Alto for the third time in 2018.

Kniss’ background as a public health professional has proven of great value for serving in public office and supporting goals for a healthy environment and sustainable future. Kniss holds a BSN from Simmons University, an MPA from CSU, and studied health policy and economics at UCB. In addition, she also worked in Marketing and Communications at Sun Microsystems in SunLabs for over ten years.

While at Pima, Lambert launched a nationally recognized Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training program, led the development of the college’s Centers of Excellence in applied technology, health care, hospitality, information technology and cybersecurity, public safety, and the arts, and worked with the Pima Foundation to secure a $5 million gift, the single largest in the college’s history. He also established fast track programs to train learners for in-demand jobs, invested heavily in Pima Online and embedded robust diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives throughout the college’s campuses and centers.

Prior to leading Pima, Lambert served nearly eight years as the president of Shoreline Community College in Washington, helping to restore the college’s financial stability, overseeing the development of the state’s first solar design degree and National Institute of Metalworking Skills accredited computer numerical control machinist programs, and turning the college into a national leader in offering 100 percent online degrees and certificates in business and health care programs.

Lambert’s personal story and early career path provide him with a deep understanding and respect for community college students and employees.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lambert grew up on three continents. His late father, who was of mixed African American heritage, and his mother, who is South Korean, were frequent targets of racism and discrimination in South Korea and the U.S. He was the first in his multiracial family to attend college right out of high school but felt unsure that he belonged, a fear common to many first-generation community college students. He stepped out of college after a year to enlist in the U.S. Army, but following his military service reenrolled in college and successfully earned a degree.

Before assuming leadership of Shoreline, Lambert served as its vice president for human resources and legal affairs, a position secured after serving close to five years in successively responsible roles in human resources at Centralia College in Washington where he negotiated contracts, developed management training programs, and advocated for diversity and inclusion in hiring practices.

His first senior executive position in higher education was special assistant to the president for civil rights and legal affairs at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where he was responsible for diversity training, conducting investigations, and building a culture of respect for the diverse academic, socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disabilities, and sexual orientations of students, faculty, and staff.

Lambert holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from The Evergreen State College and a juris doctor from Seattle University. He has taught as an adjunct faculty member at The Evergreen State College and Centralia College.

Besides his professional experience, Lambert has taken on leadership roles on local, state, and national boards and committees, including Credential Engine, National Association of Workforce Boards, National Coalition of Certification Centers, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council.

Lambert has also been the recipient of many awards during his years of community college service. Recent recognition includes the Greater Tucson Leadership 2022 Man of the Year Award, the Chairs Academy 2022 Paul A. Elsner Excellence in Leadership Award, the Association of Community College Trustees 2017 Marie Y. Martin CEO of the Year Award, and Honorary Commander for the 612^th Air Communications Squadron of Davis-Monthan Airforce Base.

He subsequently served as district vice chancellor before becoming an instructor and then dean of business and computer science at De Anza College. Now retired, his 30-year career in community colleges includes service as president of the College of San Mateo, senior vice chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, and interim chancellor of the Los Angeles district. The chancellor of the California Community Colleges later appointed him special trustee of the Compton Community College District after Compton College lost its accreditation, a position he held for four years. He serves on the boards of the Foothill-De Anza Foundation, the Community School of Music & Arts in Mountain View, and UNITE–LA, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that leads collaborations aimed at developing highly effective schools, promotes business-education partnerships and expands college access and workforce development opportunities for under-served youth. He holds a doctor of law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley, and an associate degree in political science from Santa Monica College.

He joined as the organization's first Product Manager and is passionate about building products from scratch. Alex has experience developing robust product strategies, leading international project teams, and supporting complex business-to-business sales engagements. Before Impact Fund, he served as an Associate Product Marketing Manager at View, Inc., a manufacturer of smart glass for commercial buildings that improve human health and address climate change. And before View, he served as an Analyst at Colliers, a leading commercial real estate services and investment management firm.

Alex earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Davis.

He is a member of the Cupertino City Council and has served twice as Mayor. In addition to many other community groups, including the De Anza Commission, he is an active member and past president of the Rotary Club of Cupertino.

As part of the Club’s International Service activities, he has participated in 10 project trips to Mexico, China, India, and Central and South America.

He is married, with four daughters and four grandchildren.

Before joining Google, Malini held HR management roles at Wachovia Bank and GE Capital where she managed employee relations and communications, training, and compensation. She holds a degree from Delhi University in India and Human Resources certifications from San Jose State University.

In addition, she has led the implementation of a project to recycle water from Foothill College cooling towers to the campus irrigation system.  

Kathleen is founder and chair of the Foothill College STEM Lecture Series, which brings community members to Foothill to hear thought leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

Kathleen and her husband, Mark, have funded and helped implement the renovation of the UC Irvine Athletic Training Center. For the past 16 years, Kathleen has organized a ReCycle Bike Drive to benefit those less fortunate in our community. She is a member of the Los Altos Hills Water Conservation Committee and GreenTown Los Altos. In addition, she is a member of the Montalvo Arts Center Board of Trustees in Saratoga, Ca. 

Kathleen holds a BS in Biology and an MBA with a concentration in Organizational Behavior. She resides with her family in Los Altos Hills. 

Subsequently, he became a Dean of the Physical Science and Mathematics Division and a Vice President of the College. He retired from Foothill in 1999 and, in 2005, he was elected to the FHDA Board of Trustees, where he served for 13 years. As Trustee, he represented the Board on both the District Audit-Finance Committee and the FHDA Foundation Board.  

In 1992, he initiated and sponsored events called “Division Graduation Ceremonies” at Foothill, where faculty select and award scholarships to outstanding students in their classes. Students are selected based on outstanding academic work or exceptional effort in overcoming personal adversities. Faculty present the scholarships to those honored in front of family, friends, and fellow students each spring at special Division-sponsored Graduation Ceremonies. These Ceremonies have grown through the years, and now several hundred students are honored and awarded scholarships each year.  

In 2020, he chaired the Measure G bond campaign committee for FHDA, a campaign that successfully passed an $898,000,000 bond to upgrade classrooms and technology -- expanding access to job training programs, so students can find better-paying jobs and work locally. In 2005, he joined the Palo Alto Rotary Club and subsequently chaired the Rotary Endowment Committee.  

Bruce and his wife Barbara just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. They have 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren, all of whom live on the East Coast. 

Previously, Art served in executive-level positions at Cirrus Logic, Digital Equipment’s Alpha processor group, and Sun Microsystems, one of the pioneering companies in networked computing and RISC processing.

Currently, Art is serving as President, CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Esperanto Technologies, Inc. a leading supplier of energy efficient AI chips based in Silicon Valley.  Esperanto is a venture backed startup which has raised more than $185 million in investments to date.

Art has previously served on the Foothill DeAnza Foundation board of directors starting in 2006 until he termed out after multiple terms.  He has also been continuously involved on the Foundation Finance Committee and is active on the Science and Learning Institute Advisory Committee.

Art is passionate about providing internship opportunities for FHDA students at his own company, and through his large network of corporate execs in Silicon Valley. Art has participated in various fund-raising efforts for the colleges, starting with the successful $490 million Measure C Bond offering in 2006.

Art earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University.  He is a named co-inventor on three patents relating to reconfigurable logic.

She was twice awarded the Chancellor’s Unity Award and the Academic Senate’s 10+1 award. In 2021 she was awarded the college's highest award for academic integrity, The Milanese Award, for her leadership during the pandemic. Dr. Whalen is a passionate leader of equity-advancing initiatives, most notably furthering the advancement of Guided Pathways and serving on several advisories and task forces for equity and anti-racism.

Dr. Whalen has developed a special commitment to using data-informed practices to improve the student experience. She has worked locally, regionally, and throughout California to foster leadership development that can manage and guide student success initiatives. Kristina’s years of argumentation and debate training around social justice and equity issues have led to an affinity for data literacy and storytelling. She strives to bring those affinities to collaborative problem-solving and institutional effectiveness in the service of students.   

Her earlier administrative service included working as an instructional dean for Fine, Applied, and Communication Arts at the Fort Mason Campus in San Francisco and serving as a department chair for five years.  Dr. Whalen has a Ph.D. in speech communication and a Master’s in rhetoric from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in socio-political communication from Missouri State University. Dr. Whalen was a member of the 5th cohort of Aspen Institute Presidential Fellows for Community College Excellence, a group of 40 community college leaders selected for leadership training and transformational change at U.S. community colleges. She is the author of several articles and chapters on feminist rhetorical theory and performative techniques used to further argument.

Kristina was born in the District of Columbia, where her daughter now attends college. The daughter of a Navy veteran and Secret Service agent, she spent her formative years in Virginia, Ohio, and Missouri. In 1998 she moved to California.

He founded Arca Systems, one of the first companies focused on information security, and served as its CEO until its acquisition by Exodus Communications. In 2015 Bill returned to his love of teaching mathematics by joining the De Anza mathematics department as a part-time instructor.  

Bill has served on the Board of Trustees of the Fremont Union High School District since first being elected in 2006 and has strongly supported the growing number of partnerships between FUHSD and Foothill-De Anza. 

Bill received his B.A. in mathematics from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University.